


Meet me in Paris

by HopeSilverheart



Series: Loving Em at 2AM [100]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: (they really don't matter), 19th Century, Alternate Universe - Historical, Battle Couple, Body Worship, Cunnilingus, Epistolary, F/F, Fluff, Gentle Dom Emily Prentiss, Girls in Love, Humour, Lesbian Emily Prentiss, Light Dom/sub, Love, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Party, Power Couple, Praise Kink, Smut, Spies & Secret Agents, Spies of the 19th century, Vaginal Fingering, of some sort at least
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:46:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26867617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeSilverheart/pseuds/HopeSilverheart
Summary: For a second, JJ’s heart froze. She hadn’t made the trip from Vienna to Venice to Paris, only to be told that she wouldn’t be meeting up with the rest of the team. Coming back to France had been a last minute decision for their half of the team, a risk they’d only taken in order to gather up their forces and redeploy themselves in different groups. The only reason JJ hadn’t protested against Hotch’s orders had been because she had been desperate to see Emily.If the man announced that she wouldn’t be seeing her lover because of a ‘change in plans’, castration wasn’t the only thing he would have to worry about.Or: What would happen if the BAU were a group of American spies in 19th century France and JJ & Emily were lovers.
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss
Series: Loving Em at 2AM [100]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764400
Kudos: 47





	Meet me in Paris

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thatnerdemryn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatnerdemryn/gifts).



> 100 fics and 500 000 words, mon coeur, and I still love you more every day.

_10.27.46._

_J,_

_It’s been far too long since I last saw you, mon coeur. I’m sorry to say that we were asked to stay behind at our secondary location for a while longer, and it has been months since I last heard from H, so my hopes for the near future are not high. I only hope that you are alright, wherever you are, and that we will see each other soon again. Maybe we’ll even get to go to Paris together, after all these months of hopping around the country._

_Please just tell me that you are safe and that I will see you again someday. The thought of holding you close is the only thing keeping me going, so please take care of yourself._

_I miss you far more than I should._

_E_.

_***_

_11.06.46._

_E,_

_We’re safe. We haven’t moved from this hellhole in weeks and no new from H. have come for us either, but we are all unharmed. F. is on the move near us, which is probably why you were moved, but worry not, we’ll catch him sooner or later. In the meantime, enjoy whichever part of France you are in for me, alright? I will see you soon, in Venice, perhaps._

_P. and D. ask that you take care of yourself too, and I have to agree with them. You are not the only one with a vested interest for another’s safety. I love you far too much to lose you now, and know that I will personally hunt down anyone who dares hurt you. I dream of you every night, mon ange, and promise to find you as soon as our orders allow for such a bold move._

_I miss you too, more than you could possibly imagine._

_J._

_***_

_02.16.47_

_J,_

_We finally have news from H. He contacted us in our third location last month, moved us here a few days ago, and has asked us to stay put. Please tell me you’ll be here soon, my heart. I never feel complete when I’m away from you, and the others tell me that I’m far too frustrating when I have you on my mind. Unluckily for them, it seems you’re the only thing I can think about._

_Send word to me soon and tell H. that I will find him and castrate him if he dares keep you away for much longer._

_E._

_***_

_02.18.47._

_E,_

_I’m near. We were contacted for the secondary mission too. F. is stuck somewhere in Austria at the moment and won’t be making it out for a while. H. said he needed our help here, so I promise we will be seeing each other again soon. Just wait a few more days and I’ll be all yours._

_In the meantime, dream of me a little more, why don’t you? Think of me when you’re alone, when you’re with the others, when you’re at home or when you’re away. Keep me with you always, and I’ll stay with you forever._

_I suppose you were right about Paris. City of Love, here we come._

_J._

* * *

“Are you sure this is the right place?”

JJ sighed heavily as Penelope asked the same question for the tenth time in less than five minutes. She understood her friend’s hesitance, given the slightly shady nature of the alley they had found themselves in, but JJ trusted Hotch. He wouldn’t have messed up the address, especially not after months of not being able to see his team in person.

“They’ll be here any minute now,” Derek rubbed a soothing hand down Penelope’s back and narrowed his eyes at JJ warningly. “We’re all on edge here, JJ, it’s no reason for you to get huffy with us.”

“I’m not huffy,” JJ grit her teeth. “I just don’t think we need to hear the same question hundreds of time in order to get Penelope’s point. She’s worried, I get that, but everything’s going to be fine and questioning Hotch’s orders isn’t going to make time fly by any faster.”

Before Derek could open his mouth and say another thing that would get on JJ’s nerves, a loud clanking sound echoed from the front of the alley and had both of them discreetly drawing their weapons.

“Penelope shouldn’t have come here,” JJ muttered as she pushed the other woman behind her, readjusting her hat to make sure her cover wasn’t about to be blown. “She could have waited somewhere a little safer and we could have gone to get her later.”

“Except you both knew I wasn’t going to let you push me away just because I don’t have a weapon on me,” Penelope scoffed. “I’m part of this mission just as much as you two are, and I deserve to see the rest of my partners with my own two eyes. Don’t even try to tell me that Hotch is going to keep us all together, because we know that’s a lie.”

“Thank god,” Derek murmured, smirking at JJ teasingly. “I love you ladies very much, but I _was_ starting to go a little crazy in that apartment.”

“At least you had your partner in crime with you,” JJ pointed out, putting her gun away as the source of the noise revealed itself. “If you try to keep me away from Emily again, Hotch, I swear to god I will castrate you before you can so much as blink.”

Their team leader’s eyebrows flew up as he closed the distance between them. JJ would have apologised, but she refused to take her words back. While Hotch had been back in the States with his son, JJ had had to spend months away from the woman she loved. If he wanted sympathy, he had come knocking on the wrong door.

“Good to see you too, Jennifer,” he greeted her with a tilt of his hat. “I have to say, I wasn’t expecting to see you looking so-”

“It’s easier to fight in men’s clothes than it is in women’s,” JJ shrugged unabashedly. She refused to get told off for her unconventional choices _again_ – she’d gotten enough crap from Derek over the months they’d spent alone. “I still wear dresses when we go undercover or when I have to participate in inane social gatherings, but I do tend to prefer practicality over beauty, as you very well know.”

“Don’t even try to argue with her, Aaron,” Derek rolled his eyes, earning himself a sharp nudge in the ribs from JJ. “What did I-”

“You’d think that after months of me saving your ass, you’d have stopped being such a prejudiced asshole, but clearly you’re going to need a few weeks more,” JJ hissed at him. “Stop talking to him like I’m not here. Now, _Aaron_ , where are we going? And where are the others?”

“There’s been a change in plans.”

For a second, JJ’s heart froze. She hadn’t made the trip from Vienna to Venice to Paris, only to be told that she wouldn’t be meeting up with the rest of the team. Coming back to France had been a last minute decision for their half of the team, a risk they’d only taken in order to gather up their forces and redeploy themselves in different groups. They’d missed out on an invaluable opportunity in Rome to be in Paris, and the only reason JJ hadn’t protested against Hotch’s orders had been because she had been desperate to see Emily.

If the man announced that she _wouldn’t_ be seeing her lover because of a ‘change in plans’, castration wasn’t the only thing he would have to worry about.

“I wasn’t planning on letting the entire team gather, but it seems I have no other choice,” he continued, staring intently at JJ’s right hand – the one that had unconsciously started gripping her gun tighter than necessary at the mention of a disruption in their given orders.

“Is it Foyet?” Penelope frowned. “My network was almost certain that he would be stuck in Vienna for the foreseeable future, and it really doesn’t make much sense for-”

“It isn’t Foyet,” Hotch interrupted her, looking around them as though someone else could have magically appeared in their dark alley. As much as JJ respected his paranoia, even _she_ thought he was being a little jumpy for an armed man. “There’s been another uprising in the city centre, and it seems one of our allies may have gotten a little tangled up in the mess.”

“Let me guess,” JJ sighed. “It was Spencer and his secret lover.”

“Spencer has a secret lover?” Derek gaped. “I didn’t know the kid had it in him. Where is he now?”

“Lover may be too strong a word to explain what’s going on between Spencer and his Maeve, but they’re definitely close,” Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly. “No one from the other half of the team has any idea how he snuck out or where he could be, but I have a feeling he won’t be far from the centre of it all. Which means…”

“We’ll be going undercover!” Garcia clapped her hands excitedly. “And with the entire team, too, that sounds like a great time.”

A small smile twitched at the corner of JJ’s lips at her friend’s excitement, even as her heart sank a little at the thought of a mission. It wasn’t that she didn’t love going undercover, because there was definitely something intoxicating about using their agency’s funds to dress up and attend events JJ could have only dreamed of as a child, but…

She hadn’t seen Emily in _months_ , and now they were going to have to spend the first few hours of their reunion tracking down their stray team member and his not-so-secret partner.

“I’m assuming you already have a plan in mind?” JJ asked as Hotch gestured towards the front of the alley – a clear sign that it was time for them to enter society again.

“Indeed,” Hotch hummed. “We’ll be splitting up into three teams. Rossi is waiting for me at a hotel nearby. Derek and Penelope, I need you to join the revolutionaries and try to find out if anyone has heard of a Maeve Donovan or her whereabouts. Spencer and her both have local enemies, and the last thing I want is a death on our hands. JJ, you’re coming with me for now. Emily is back at the hotel with Dave and we need to get you ready for your part of the mission.”

“And what part would that be?” JJ inquired softly as they parted from Derek and Penelope with a single nod – a promise to stay in touch through their many Parisian informants. “I’m assuming there’s a reason you’re pairing two women up, and I doubt it’s the one I’m hoping for.”

“You’d be correct,” Hotch chuckled. “I know you’ve never been fond of upscale parties, but I’m afraid none of us would fit in quite as well as Emily and you do.”

“Oh, so Derek and Penelope get to enjoy an uprising, but Em and I have to socialise with Paris’ bigoted elites?” JJ huffed, unsurprised but still a little annoyed at having to go on _another_ elitist mission. Emily and she made a killer team – quite literally – but it didn’t make the unnecessary gossip with the bourgeoisie any less frustrating. “Wonder who your favourites are, Aaron.”

“I could have split you up,” the man said warningly, but JJ only scoffed. “You know I would do it.”

“Not today, you wouldn’t,” JJ shook her head disbelievingly. “You’re all too aware of what seeing Emily again means to me, so there was no way you would have kept us apart unless it was absolutely essential to our mission. Now, where are we going exactly?”

“A hotel in the second arrondissement,” Hotch explained, tugging on JJ’s arm to pull her onto another street and smirking when he noticed the slightly gobsmacked look on her face. “Quite the change in décor for you, I’m sure, but we need to make sure you’re properly attired for tonight’s event.”

“How much time do we have?”

“Six hours, so you’d better pick up the pace. After all, it wouldn’t do for two respectable ladies to be late to an event hosted by the king.”

 _The king_.

JJ was going to murder Hotch, plan or no plan.

***

“This place is even fancier than I remember it being,” JJ whistled appreciatively as they walked into one of Paris’ most well-known hotels. She wasn’t sure what Hotch had had to do to get their superiors to agree to such an expense, but she certainly wasn’t complaining.

After all, she had just spent months in a tiny two-bedroom apartment with Derek and Penelope; at this point, anything was an improvement, and a hotel decorated in gold-leaf definitely counted as an upgrade.

“I keep forgetting you’ve already been to France,” Hotch furrowed his brows. “When was that mission again? Four, five years ago?”

“Try seven,” JJ snorted, tipping her hat at a passing group of women and smirking when they blushed at the attention. “Emily and I were only here for a few weeks though, since you all handled Doyle quite well. He never _did_ make it all the way to the West Coast, did he?”

“Of course not,” Hotch said almost offendedly. “We’re the best infiltration and reconnaissance team out there; there was no way for him to leave the country, no matter how far from us he tried to get.”

“Penelope’s networks sure are something else,” JJ smiled proudly. Penelope had never been cut out for the field – her presence on this mission somewhat of an exception – but god did that woman know how to work information out of people. “What floor?”

“Yours and Emily’s room is on the fifth, but we’ll be stopping by the third to meet up with David first,” Hotch explained, already taking the steps two at a time. “Your disguise might actually come in handy, since we signed you and Emily in as a couple, and we both know two women won’t cut it for the staff here.”

“Good thing I didn’t wear a dress then, huh?” JJ grinned widely as Hotch rolled his eyes at her.

Even though their team leader tended to act a little cold with them, mostly to stop himself from dealing with more loss than he already had in his life, JJ knew he loved them all like family and wouldn’t give them up for _anything_. It was times like these, when she got to hear from him in person rather than through letters, that she remembered how much they all meant to each other.

JJ would give her life for Emily, but she would damn well do the same thing for almost every other member of the team – Derek was on thin ice most of the time, especially since they had started living together.

“You know I don’t mind it,” Hotch said softly as they approached what JJ assumed was Rossi’s hotel room. “But there are times when I wonder if things would be easier were you to stick to the gender roles you were assigned.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” JJ smirked in a perfect imitation of her lover. Truthfully, she never would have dared wander around in men’s clothes before she had met Emily, but the other woman had inspired her in more than one way. “It’s not like anyone has to know who’s hiding behind my top hat.”

“You’re all going to be the death of me,” Hotch shook his head exasperatedly as he pushed one of the rooms’ door open and strode in confidently. JJ took it as a sign that the area was completely secure and followed after him, perking up when she spotted Rossi and looking around wildly until-

“Jen.”

All the tension that had started accumulating on her shoulders ever since she’d had to split up from her other half. She knew depending on another person wasn’t the best idea in their line of work, but she couldn’t have cared less. Emily was her heart, her sanity, her _soul_ , and she would tear the world to pieces if anything ever happened to her. Heaven knew she’d been about to do that when she’d heard her lover had been injured a few months earlier.

Holding Emily in her arms right then, however, burning the world was the last thing on her mind. All she could think about was how different the other woman’s hair looked – a little shorter, a little darker, with a fringe that hadn’t been there before – and yet how _familiar_ she felt in JJ’s embrace. It was like they hadn’t moved an inch from where they’d been a little less than a year earlier, back when they’d still been in the States.

God, JJ had missed this.

She’d missed feeling another heartbeat matching up to hers, missed the way Emily’s hands always tightened around her waist once she realised JJ was real, missed _Emily_. She’d missed her more this time around than she ever had before, and even she wasn’t foolish enough to deny that it wasn’t exactly a good sign. If they got worse with every mission…

“Stop overthinking,” Emily whispered into her hair, letting her hands stroke soothing patterns up and down JJ’s back. “I know you’re worried about a lot of things, but let it go for now. We can think about all the complicated nonsense another time, alright?”

“Whatever you say, milady,” JJ grumbled back, slipping out of her lover’s grip when the brunette went to dig her fingers into her hips. “I’ve missed you, Em.”

“I’ve missed you too, Jen,” Emily cupped JJ’s face gently. “More than you could possibly imagine. Thankfully, it looks like we’re going to get some uninterrupted time together tonight, courtesy of our fearless leader.”

“Oh, I don’t know if I’d call him fearless,” Rossi cut into their conversation, sending JJ an unimpressed look. “Forgotten all about me, Jareau? And here I was thinking you would have missed the other members of your team as well as Emily. Clearly, Spencer and I were fools.”

“Of course not,” JJ huffed amusedly, stepping away from Emily in order to embrace the older man. “The team isn’t quite the same when we’re not all in the same place. Speaking of which, I thought you said we’d all be gathering at once, Hotch. Why did you send Derek and Penelope away so soon?”

“We’ll be meeting up later,” Hotch waved her question away. “Besides, you and Derek looked like you were three seconds away from jumping at each other’s throats. I doubt Penelope would have appreciated being a witness to a homicide.”

“And she would have missed Morgan dearly,” Rossi added, winking at JJ conspiratorially – not that JJ needed the extra validation; she’d been training with Derek for months and regularly got the upper hand. “But onto other matters, is there a reason why you’ve decided to make the lovebirds reunite in my room, or did you just want to enjoy the show?”

“ _Dave_ ,” Hotch groaned. “I thought it would be a good idea for us all to discuss a plan for tonight, since we’ll be heading in similar directions. David and I won’t be attending the king’s party, but we _will_ be joining a few acquaintances for a gentlemen’s night nearby. Two of our most trusted informants will be there and will hopefully have knowledge on Spencer’s whereabouts.”

“I still can’t believe we lost him,” Emily sighed, looping her arms around JJ’s waist and resting her chin on the blonde’s shoulder. “He was there one second, and then rifles were going off the distance and he was gone. That girl is going to drive him to an early grave; mark my words.”

“How long have they known each other for?” JJ tilted her head back curiously, meeting Emily’s eyes as best she could. “I was under the impression that their… relationship was fairly recent.”

“It is,” Emily answered. “Unfortunately for us, Spencer seems to truly like this girl. I’m a little afraid of how he’ll react when we inevitably have to return to the United States. As much as I would love to take Maeve back with us, I’m not sure the government will be quite as happy to host yet another fugitive.”

“Fugitive?” JJ’s eyes widened comically. She took in Hotch’s grim face, Rossi’s taut features, and Emily’s pained grimace, and she suddenly realised that whatever their mission for the night was, it was a _lot_ more important than she’d originally thought. “Who exactly is this Maeve?”

“A local bourgeois’ daughter,” Rossi replied when Emily failed to speak up and Hotch turned away from them completely. “The two of them met while we were on a mission in one of the richer arrondissements and, although I have no idea of the exact nature of their affair, they’ve been inseparable ever since.”

“It’s one of the reasons I asked you all to come here,” Hotch continued, still looking out of the room’s window and determinedly not letting his reflection meet any of their gazes. “We needed to get him away from Paris, but we also need Emily to stay here. The goal was to have you switch places with him. You’re more efficient when you’re with your lover, and he’s more efficient when he’s away from his- from Maeve. It was supposed to be a quick exchange, and Foyet’s sudden stay in Vienna gave us the perfect opportunity.”

“However, we forgot to take _ces putains de révolutionnaires_ into account,” Emily cursed. “I understand and support their cause, but they’re going about it all wrong and causing more chaos than anything else.”

“They just want to be free,” Rossi shrugged. “And they’re far from the only citizens with a desire for liberty and equality.”

“The Italians are just as bad,” JJ nodded in agreement. “I doubt anything will calm down until a reasonable compromise has been reached between the different factions. Thankfully for us, the relative instability of the European governments gives us the perfect means of covering our tracks. I know he isn’t the topic of the day, but are we any closer to catching Foyet for good?”

“We should only be a month or two away,” Hotch smiled, obviously satisfied. “You’ve all acted exemplarily during this mission, and the information you have circulating around the continent brings us closer to finding him every day. If Vienna hadn’t been such an impractical city for us to arrest him in, I would have had you over there yesterday.”

“So the plan is to wait for his return in Italy?” Emily inquired. “Yet you’re not going to send the entire team there.”

“I’m not,” Hotch confirmed. “Spencer, Derek, Penelope, David and I can handle his capture and bring him back to the States. The two of you will be more useful here, where you can keep an eye out for our other dangerous enemies. That way, when the agency finally gives us the right to hunt them down, you’ll be here at the ready.”

It took a minute for JJ to understand the implications behind Hotch’s statement but, when she did, a slow and disbelieving smile spread across her face. It was one thing to be sent on an assignment with Emily for a few weeks; it was another to be asked to work with her for an undetermined period of time.

“You want us to stay here permanently,” she concluded, exchanging an awed look with her lover. “You want informants on the continent who you can trust not only with information and communication, but also with captures and undercover work.”

“It makes sense,” Emily added, never taking her eyes off Hotch. “Our biggest struggle has always been readapting to the terrain when looking for our extraction targets. If we’re already here and integrated in society…”

“It’s the perfect cover story,” Hotch completed for them. “That was the other reason why I wanted you two to come here before tonight’s event. You’ll be given until Foyet’s capture to make a decision, and we’ll stay in constant contact even if you decide to remain here. Let it be clear that you will always be a part of our team; you’ll simply be international agents as well and will have to answer to other superiors across the European continent.”

“We’ll think about it,” JJ said seriously, biting down on her bottom lip to stop herself from giving a premature answer to such an important question. Her heart wanted her to stay, but she and Emily would need to think things through before making any rash decisions. “Five hours left. Should we go get ready?”

“Yes, please,” Hotch agreed. “I trust that you know how to get yourselves properly attired without any outside help, but feel free to call a _domestique_ if you need one.”

JJ and Emily blinked at him blankly for a few seconds before nodding as solemnly as they could manage. The twinkle in Hotch’s eyes and the amused smile tugging at Rossi’s mouth made it hard, but JJ and Emily had been trained to deceive others. Lying to their team was nothing compared to some of the things they’d had to do.

“We’ll keep that in mind,” Emily finally answered, curtsying mockingly at the two men before unlacing her fingers from JJ’s and resting her hand in the crook of the blonde’s elbow instead. “If you would, good sir.”

“Why of course, my heart,” JJ smiled, waving at Hotch and Rossi as she made her way out of the room, her lover by her side. “I think it’s high past time for the two of us to get some time alone.”

“You couldn’t be more right.”

***

JJ’s hat and overcoat were thrown aside as soon as they stepped into their hotel room, both of them grasping for the other as they let their lips meet for the first time in months. JJ hadn’t realised how much she had truly missed the physical side of her relationship with Emily until they were standing so close to each other she could feel the brunette’s body heat seeping into her clothes.

She could barely stand the clothes between them, could barely stop herself from tearing every layer off and devouring her lover right there and then. If it hadn’t been for their thrice-damned mission, she would have already let Emily spread her out on the bed and get her way with her. As it was, she let her hands wander far more than what one might consider appropriate between two women.

She loved Spencer like a brother and would do everything in her power to find him, but Emily was- Emily was _gorgeous_.

She was grinning delightedly, her throat bared and her dark hair framed by the late afternoon light, and JJ had missed her so much. She loved her and she’d missed her and she wanted her more now than she’d ever wanted her in her life. Honestly, she had half a mind to forget about the mission and lock them inside their hotel room for the rest of the night.

“I know what you’re thinking, but we can’t,” Emily murmured against her lips, letting out a broken moan when JJ licked her way into her mouth again. “ _Jen_.”

Reluctantly, JJ pulled herself away from the other woman and took a few deep breaths, hoping against hope that it would be enough to freeze her burning thoughts in their path.

“I wish we weren’t on a mission,” she sighed, turning away from her lover in an attempt to forget how enticing Emily looked right then. “Why on earth would Spencer risk getting caught by some of the more unfriendly locals for a girl, anyways? Couldn’t she have come to him rather than have him hunt her down in the middle of a minor revolutionary assembly.”

“We’ve never met her,” Emily said matter-of-factly, as though that somehow explained everything. “I think he believes going to see her keeps her safer. As Hotch said, she’s a lot richer than most Parisians, and having her wander the streets alone is hardly a good idea.”

“He should have known better than to get involved with a revolutionary girl born to a royalist family,” JJ closed her eyes tiredly. “I understand that one doesn’t choose who they love, but this is just- He knows how important the Foyet mission is; why would he risk delaying our timeline for a woman he’s only known a few months?”

“Sometimes, I think he forgets that his intellect does not spare him for the stupidity love brings out in all of us,” Emily answered, stepping closer to JJ and pressing a soft kiss to her temple. “I know this isn’t ideal, and I know you may want to find him and make sure he never does something like this again, but we have orders and unlike him, we’re going to follow them. Spencer will undoubtedly apologise for his recklessness when he sees us again, and all will be right in the world again.”

“We’ll see,” JJ said quietly. “We have to find him first, after all, and I doubt we’ll be the ones to get our hands on him. My guess is that Derek and Penelope will meet Hotch and Rossi halfway, and they’ll all find him together. We both know what _our_ role for the night is.”

“The same as every time we’re partnered up,” Emily chuckled. “We’re going to distract the hell out of those rich men. They won’t even think to look for one of their missing daughters.”

“I _do_ love seeing you charm all of those royalists only to turn them down when they ask if you are available to be courted,” JJ smiled reminiscently. It had been a while since she and Emily had had the chance to do something like this and, as despicable as most of their companions for the night would be, JJ never felt as powerful as she did when she had a dozen of men feeding out of her hand. “And you always look beautiful in those gowns Hotch chooses for you.”

“Hotch has nothing to do with our wardrobe,” Emily laughed lightly. “No, this is all Rossi. I have to admit that his tastes are impeccable, so I can’t complain about having a man choose my attire for me.”

JJ hummed, letting her gaze dart around the room until it landed on two expensive – but not too flashy – dresses laid out on a queen-sized bed. The sheets underneath were white and lined with gold, but nothing could have outshone the gowns Rossi had bought for them.

Emily’s – and it _had_ to be Emily’s – was a deep red gown with puffed up sleeves that would have looked ridiculous on JJ but would inevitably look incredible on the brunette. JJ could already imagine her at the party, twirling around in some stranger’s arms as JJ watched on longingly.

Not that Emily wouldn’t be doing her fair share of watching, if the blue dress next to Emily’s was anything to go by. It was nowhere near as extravagant as the red gown, the tones more muted and the embroidered jewels much smaller, but threads of silver dominated the attire and made JJ’s eyes sparkle excitedly. She rarely got to dress up, since her usual missions involved blending in with the lower social classes, and she was more than ready to slip into the beautiful outfit.

“You’re going to start drooling on it if you don’t shut your mouth,” Emily whispered into her ear, startling JJ out of her thoughts. “Wouldn’t want you to ruin such a pretty dress before you even got to wear it.”

“Very funny,” JJ grumbled, slapping Emily’s hands away from her waist. “Don’t you even start with your wandering fingers. Tell me about what weapons we’ll be bringing instead. I’m assuming Hotch gave you something? Because we had to leave everything at the old place, so I have nothing on me.”

“I don’t know why you think talking about weapons is going to make me want to fuck you any less, but whatever you wish,” Emily grinned, throwing herself onto one of the room’s comfortable armchairs and gesturing at the closet standing next to the bed. “Hotch _did_ leave a few things in there, although he recommended only bringing one of two each, since any more than that might attract attention. A dagger each is a requirement, of course, preferably tucked safely into our corsets.”

“And a sabre for you, if we have one, hidden underneath your skirt,” JJ tapped her chin consideringly. “If we do need to fight, it would be better for one of us to be able to reach our opponents from up close, while the other-”

“Takes them down from afar,” Emily finished. “If you think I’ve forgotten all about basic strategy since you left, you’re sorely mistaken. I’m quite certain there’s a pistoleer in that closet, with enough ammunition for a few rounds. Hopefully, we won’t be getting into any serious trouble tonight. Men _do_ tend to stay away from women, even dangerous ones.”

“Especially dangerous ones,” JJ corrected. “Thankfully, I have my very special pair of heeled boots with me today, which means I should be able to store that delightful weapon on me without any issues. No one will even notice we have anything on us.”

“They never do,” Emily huffed. “They’re all fools, underestimating half of the population just because we’re prettier than them. Someday they’ll learn that we can be just as deadly as them and they will rue the times when they thought us harmless.”

“But in the meantime, we’ll take advantage of their ignorance to further our own agenda,” JJ reminded her lover. They’d had this conversation hundreds of times in the past, and the blonde had learned better than to argue with Emily. “Look, I know you’re passionate about this, but we really need to get ready and a conversation about equal rights isn’t going to get us out of here anytime soon.”

“I just wish- I wish things were a little fairer in this world,” Emily buried her head in her hands, letting her elbows rest on her knees. “I wish we didn’t have to worry about carrying daggers in our corsets all the time just in case a man decides to have his way with us. I wish we didn’t have to look to Hotch or Morgan or Dave before making a decision.”

“I wish things were like that too, but I doubt it’s going to happen anytime soon,” JJ sighed sadly. “We’re getting closer, I know we are, but we may just have to watch things happen from our place in heaven rather than on earth.”

“It’s not _fair_ ,” Emily repeated, gritting her teeth and raising her face so her burning eyes could meet JJ’s. “And every man deserves the death they get for harming women as though we’re nothing more than puppets in their little game.”

JJ stayed silent, brushing a stray strand of hair out of Emily’s eyes and smiling at her fondly, knowing the other woman didn’t need words to understand what she was trying to say. There were some things in life that just _made sense_ to JJ and Emily, no words needed, and the desire to get revenge for all the women out there who’d been murdered in cold blood was one of them.

“It’s why we do what we do, isn’t it?” JJ reminded Emily, taking one of the brunette’s hands in hers and gently tugging her out of the chair until they were standing chest to chest again, their fingers tangled between them. “You’ve done more for women in the world than anyone I know, Emily. Believe me, even if the world doesn’t remember everything you’ve done for us, the people you’ve saved will. _I_ will.”

“I love you,” Emily whispered, making JJ’s heart skip a beat.

No matter how many times she heard the words coming from Emily’s lips, they never failed to amaze her, never failed to make her feel cared for and _adored_. There were very few things in life she would fight for as vehemently as she would for those three words.

“I love you too,” she murmured, kissing Emily lightly one last time before letting go of her lover completely and skipping towards the bed. “Now, I think it’s time for us to dazzle Paris’ upper class, don’t you?”

“With you by my side, we’ll do a lot more than just dazzle them.”

* * *

JJ had lost Emily almost as soon as they had stepped into that evening’s venue of choice. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for the two of them to get split up, but JJ would have been lying had she said she wasn’t a little disappointed to have lost sight of her lover.

Just as she had thought, Emily looked _radiant_ in her red gown, and JJ hadn’t been able to take her eyes off her as Hotch and Rossi had accompanied them to the party. She knew there were plenty of handsome gentleman and attractive ladies around, but none of them stood a chance against Emily.

The brunette had taken JJ’s breath away – for the millionth time – when they’d finally managed to get the dress to sit _just right_ on her body, and she’d made quite a few others speechless on their way to the soirée. Realistically, JJ knew some of their admirers had to have been looking at her, but she couldn’t quite imagine why anyone would want to stare at her when Emily was right next to her.

 _I may burn bright, angel, but you’re the one who looks like a star tonight_.

JJ shook her head to rid herself of Emily’s words, knowing she needed to focus on her main target for the night before he found himself someone else to dance with. Emily had managed to run into Paul Thomas as soon as they had arrived, but Hastings, the marquis JJ had been supposed to approach, had been a lot harder to find. The man had a way of weaselling his way through crowds unnoticed, only making himself known to women he deemed worthy, and it never failed to get on JJ’s nerves.

By the time she spotted him, she had already seen Emily dance with Thomas five times and was more on edge than she’d been in months. Nothing made her want to set the room on fire more than seeing that man’s – if he could even be called that – hands on Emily. She knew seducing him had always been part of Emily’s cover and had helped them on multiple occasions, but it never ceased to make JJ grit her teeth in annoyance.

“You look like you could use some company, _ma belle_ ,” Hastings said from right next to her, almost – but not quite – making JJ flinch. God, JJ hated him. “It’s been a while since I last saw you in Paris. Too busy traipsing around Italy with those countless lovers of yours?”

JJ had to stop herself from snorting at the reminder of the ridiculous cover Hotch had come up with when they had first arrived on European soil. It made sense, of course, for a woman like her to go around looking for the perfect husband – or at least it did to the men of their time – but JJ had always found it ironic. Every time she was supposedly on a trip looking for a lover, the only lover she _actually_ had was stuck in Paris, dismissing her own long line of suitors.

It was at times like these that JJ was ever-so thankful for Hotch and his team. Not many American women got a chance like this, a chance to explore the world and forget about society’s expectations and live her life the way she wanted to, and JJ was all too aware of how lucky she was. Without her position in the agency, her love with Emily would have been doomed, relegated to a mere affair she would have had to hide from her husband.

She shivered at the thought, digging her nails into the palm of her hands as Hastings wrapped his arm around her shoulder as though to warm her up.

“You should have brought something to keep yourself warm, Juliette,” Hastings tutted disapprovingly. “Then again, I bet you did this on purpose. You wanted to make sure we all knew what we were missing out on, didn’t you? You’ve always liked skirting with the limits of propriety when you’re in Paris, haven’t you?”

“Mmm,” she hummed noncommittally. “I suppose there’s something about this city that makes me feel a little more… romantic, in a way.”

“Something about the city, or the people in it?” The man smirked smarmily, reminding JJ of why, exactly, she had never even considered letting the marquis court her. His riches could never make up for his terrible personality.

“The city wouldn’t be much of anything without the people who live in it,” JJ said vaguely, smiling internally when Hastings took the bait and preened like a cat who had caught the canary. “Although I’m sure we both agree that some… people really shouldn’t be allowed to roam around freely all the time. I hate to see the city I love so much degraded by people who care for nothing but themselves.”

“Ah yes, the _republicans_ ,” Hastings spat out, glaring into the distance as though he could see the revolutionaries if he just tried hard enough.

The great thing about men, JJ thought, was how easy it was to fool them into believing you were on their side. She couldn’t begin to count how many times she’d used the same generic words and statements to get a man to open up to her, believing her to be too clueless and uneducated to gather anything from his answers.

“I hear they caused mayhem down in the twelfth today,” JJ said innocently, pouting just enough that she would appear more like a concerned and disgruntled lady than an intrigued agent digging for information. “I hope no one got injured.”

“Someone’s always going to get injured,” Hastings said solemnly, letting his hand slip down to JJ’s waist as though to comfort her. The touch had JJ feeling dirty, but she had come too far to stop now. Hastings clearly knew _something_ about the republicans’ uprising, and whether or not it could help them find Spencer, extra information never hurt. “But most of our side made it out just fine. We’ve gotten too used to their attacks and tactics, and they know it.”

JJ wondered if Hastings had come to the same conclusion as their team had, if he suspected that the republicans were planning something else, updating their strategies to catch the royalists off guard when they least expected it. She wondered if his arrogance let him realise that they weren’t as invincible as they liked to make themselves out to be.

“And the republicans? Did you manage to arrest any of them?” JJ inquired, batting her eyelashes at Hastings in what she hoped was a fearful and somewhat pleading manner. God, it had been far too long since she had last gone undercover as a rich lady in distress.

“Arrests aren’t going to do us any good, as I’ve been trying to tell everyone around here, but yes, we did,” Hastings announced proudly. “Not as many as I would have liked, and no one of interest, but enough that we made our point for the time being.”

JJ let her relief show on her face, her shoulders deflating as the fear of losing Spencer lessened. As long as he hadn’t been caught by the monarchists – and he hadn’t, because Hastings would have definitely recognised him – then he was probably fine.

“You’re safe here, Juliette,” Hastings assured her, letting his hand rest a little more firmly against her hip and making her tense up before she could stop the instinctive reaction.

She had never understood how Emily could let men touch her without showing her repulsion on the outside, but she had to admit it wasn’t a skill she was particularly envious of. She came of as a prude to men, but at least they tended to back away from her rather quickly.

Unfortunately for her, Hastings had always been the exception to that rule. No matter how many times JJ turned him down, no matter how often she refused his courting proposals, no matter how many times she talked about other lovers in front of him, he never gave up. Getting information from him was always an easy affair and never failed to wield productive results, but JJ still wasn’t sure it made up for the time she had to spend in his company.

“Would you care to dance?” He asked her, his fingers digging into her flesh uncomfortably in a way that made it clear that he wasn’t asking, he was _demanding_. “I haven’t seen you out there all night, and a dress like yours deserves to be shown off. You’ll make all the other ladies out there jealous with looks like yours, even that good friend of yours. What was her name again?”

Not for the first time, JJ was extremely grateful for the fact that Hotch had insisted on aliases when they had gotten their first mission in France. It would have been one thing for Hastings to use JJ’s real name, but Emily’s? There was no way in hell JJ would have let it slip past his lips if he wasn’t on his knees begging for their mercy.

“Elizabeth,” she answered seamlessly, smiling at him warmly. “She looks quite beautiful tonight too, don’t you think?”

“I’m sure she does,” Hasting murmured into her ear as he dragged her closer to him and onto the dance floor. “But no one could ever match you, Juliette. Tell me, do you have any idea how many men’s eyes are on us right now, wishing they were me? You’re radiant and everyone in this room knows it.”

Out of the corner of her eye, a flash of red caught JJ’s attention and had her turning her head towards its source. A few feet away from her, Emily was dancing with Thomas, looking as uncomfortably comfortable as JJ did. A quick nod from the brunette was enough to have JJ knowing that they had both gotten the information they’d come looking for, and she nodded back just as quickly before Emily had to spin away.

Although their mission was completed and JJ should have been ecstatic, she spent the next hour or so feeling more miserable than she had in a long while. She was surrounded by women dressed just as fantastically as her, and she had dozens of men begging for her attention, yet she had never felt more out of place.

She didn’t know how to do this alone anymore. Emily had always been the one who had gotten them through these nights and, although JJ knew the brunette had more appearances to keep up than she did, it didn’t make things any easier for her. Navigating the complicated structure of the French bourgeoisie and nobility was harder than she remembered it being, and by the time the clock struck ten, she thought she could have passed out from exhaustion.

Which was, of course, when the room descended into chaos.

Instantly, JJ’s back straightened and her eyes narrowed in the direction of the loud _bang_ that had echoed throughout the room. Around her, her female companions let out screams and hurried towards their partners, desperately looking for a way out.

JJ, on the other hand, scanned the room for a sign of dark hair and vivid red fabric, her heart beating frantically as she looked for her lover. She knew the chances of Emily having gotten hurt were incredibly low, but even she wasn’t immune to the irrational aspects of love. Her thoughts only calmed down once she spotted Emily heading right in her direction, a familiar determined look on her face.

The pistol in JJ’s boot weighed heavily as she waited for her lover to join her. She wanted nothing more than to draw it out and keep both the republicans and the royalists away from innocent bystanders, but she knew she couldn’t blow her cover. They were too close to people they knew to risk anything out in the open, which meant they either needed to hold themselves back or – more realistically – find someplace a little more hidden to carry out their usual levels of violence.

“Go out through one of the side doors,” Emily hissed as she finally caught up to her. “I don’t know this place at all, but you’ve been here before, right? We need to get away from the people we’re trying to keep as unwitting informants.”

“I came here eight months ago, I hardly remember everything about the house,” JJ grumbled, although she was already dragging Emily towards the west wing of the house where she had noticed an exit earlier that evening. “You’re lucky I like to look for alternative exit routes. Where’s Thomas?”

“Probably trying to catch a few republicans. He won’t get very far in his attempts, given his lack of skill with a weapon, but I’m sure releasing some of that anger will be enough for him,” Emily shrugged. “What about Hastings? I’m guessing he was the first one out there fighting back.”

“I certainly wouldn’t be surprised,” JJ scoffed. “Although I lost sight of him ten minutes ago, so I actually wasn’t with him when everything happened. Do you know how many of them are in there?”

“Probably two dozens,” Emily answered, picking up her pace as the side door appeared in their line of sight. “I swear, these revolutionaries will be the death of us someday. Sometimes I wonder if they even realise how damaging some of their attacks can be to their cause as a whole. They’re certainly not endearing themselves to the elites.”

“I’m almost certain that’s the goal,” JJ laughed softly, slipping out into the cool evening air only to come to an abrupt stop at the scene that greeted them right outside the door. “Damn it, I should have known someone else would come through here.”

The three men in front of them turned around, completely ignoring the two bodies lying at their feet and shooting them smarmy smiles as they realised they had stumbled upon two ladies. And really, that was more than JJ could take that night. She’d already had to deal with Hastings for longer than she would have liked, and she refused to let herself get harassed by murderers just to keep her cover.

Besides, who would ever suspect two innocent women? They would just assume whoever had killed the five men was long gone and forget all about it.

“They deserve it, right?” Emily murmured as the trio stepped closer to them. “They absolutely deserve what’s coming for them and Hotch will agree with us.”

“Oh yes,” JJ nodded rapidly, her hand already reaching for her pistol as Emily drew her sabre. “Murderers like them get away with horrible crimes far too often, and I’ve been dying to teach someone a lesson all night. As much as I hate killing, we both know what’s going to happen if we let them get any closer.”

“Yes I do.”

And just like that, JJ shot the first man in the head, barely flinching at the sight of blood. It had been a while since she’d found herself in the thick of the action like this but killing wasn’t something one just _forgot_. Sure, it also wasn’t something she thought about all the time, but it wasn’t like the men she’d murdered had ever been innocent or good people.

It was hard to regret doing something that had probably saved countless lives down the line.

The sound of a sword slicing through skin dragged her out of her thoughts and she looked up just in time to see Emily fighting ardently against one of their remaining opponents. The other man had been distracted by his companion’s death, giving JJ just enough time to reload her pistol before aiming at his leg and shooting him once there and once in the chest, knowing he would be dead before anyone could get to him.

That being done, she strode closer to him and the revolutionaries he had killed, wincing slightly at the sight of so much blood.

“You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?” She shook her head disgustedly. “They were just kids.”

“ _Juste des sales gosses,_ ” the dying man whispered, spitting out blood in JJ’s direction as his gaze flicked to Emily, who had the last man impaled on her sword. She let go of the weapon as soon as the man fell to the ground, and JJ was quick to discard her gun as well.

The last thing they wanted was to be found with deadly weapons in hand.

“Fucking monarchists,” Emily sneered, taking one last look at the scene of destruction they were leaving behind before tugging at one of JJ’s sleeves. “We need to get away from here before someone else finds this place. Do you know where we are? How to get back to the hotel?”

“I should be good,” JJ nodded, taking a deep breath and clearing her head of the horrors she had just witnessed and committed. One of the keys to staying sane in their line of work was to focus on the good and leave the bad behind. Right now, all JJ had to do was think about Emily and not linger on the faces of the deceased they were abandoning. “You know what, I feel like this is the perfect time for a run. It would look a little strange for us to be walking around in the middle of a frenzy.”

“You’re right,” Emily grinned widely. “And running always clears your head.”

And so, for the third time in her life, JJ found herself running through the streets of Paris in the middle of the night, Emily laughing euphorically next to her.

***

They were both panting by the time they reached the hotel, hurrying past the guards and the night workers to race up to their floor, uncaring of who saw them. As far as everyone else was concerned, they were just two ladies coming back from a party-turned-bloodbath. Could anyone blame them for looking so dishevelled or running around at such a late hour? It wasn’t like they were the only ones.

“I’ve missed this,” Emily breathed out as they reached their room, barely stopping to take in the ‘ _We have S. – H.’_ note stuck on their door with a smile before pushing into their home for the night.

“What, running around Paris? Attending parties with the men we abhor? Taking care of arrogant monarchists?” JJ chuckled, locking the door behind them and groaning in relief as she truly relaxed for the first time since the beginning of the evening.

Emily was the only person in the world she trusted with her life, no questions asked, and being surrounded by others who didn’t care for her safety and wellbeing even half as much had taken its toll on her energy levels.

“All of the above,” Emily finally answered, stepping closer to her and looking her up and down appreciatively. “However, there may be other things I’ve missed more. You looked stunning tonight, mon ange, and I can’t believe that _salaud_ got to touch you more than I did. He should never have his hands on you.”

“No, he shouldn’t,” JJ agreed breathlessly, swallowing heavily as Emily prowled even closer, rendering the distance between them completely void. “I wish I could have been dancing with you instead.”

“Is that really the only thing you were thinking about?” Emily tilted her head to the side, revealing even more bare skin and making JJ’s mouth dry up. “Because the way you were looking at me tells me there was something else on your mind even when you were dancing with _him_.”

“We’re still on a mis-” JJ tried to protest, glancing at their door briefly before focusing on Emily again.

“The mission ended as soon as Spencer was successfully recovered,” Emily pointed out, smirking smugly when JJ caved just a little bit, letting her head fall back to expose her own neck. “Besides, it’s been far too long, don’t you think? I haven’t been able to touch you in months, and I think we both deserve something to wind down.”

“You’re not really- _fuck_ , Emily,” JJ stuttered. “You’re not really helping me wind down right now.”

It was a lie and they both knew it. JJ’s nerves may have been set on fire by Emily’s touch, but nothing made her feel more relaxed than letting her lover have complete control over her. The only question was whether or not JJ was ready to give up on what little control she had managed to cling to after her exhausting night or not.

“At least undress for me, mon ange,” Emily said softly, running her fingers down JJ’s sides and tugging at her chemise gently. “Or let me undress you. You can’t possibly be comfortable like that, can you? I could take such good care of you, and you know you would love it.”

 _God_ , JJ would. She would love nothing more than to let Emily take over and erase everything that had happened at the party. She wanted to lose herself in pleasure and remind herself of how good her lover’s touch could feel. She wanted to beg Emily to tear her apart and she wanted to let her bring her closer and closer to the edge until JJ was _shaking_ with restrained ecstasy.

Besides, Emily had a point. Spencer was safe, and they hadn’t received any further orders for the night. Unless Hotch tried to contact them again, was there really a reason for her to deny herself the one thing she truly wanted?

She was just so tired and drained and she felt like she couldn’t _breathe_ in the dress they’d put her in. And Emily- Emily could make all of that go away. Emily had never failed to make her feel good, to take care of her and put her back together with gentle caresses and scalding touches.

“ _Please_ ,” she begged, knowing she would need to be a lot more vocal and expressive than that if she wanted Emily to do something. “Please touch me, take off my clothes, just… Make me feel good again. It’s been- It’s been so long, and we- I need you. _Emily_ , I need you.”

“Are you sure, angel?” Emily asked her softly, stroking her hair gently as JJ felt her knees weaken. “You know we could always just go to bed and get some well-deserved sleep.”

“Later,” JJ whispered, already feeling her body light up on fire at the feeling of Emily so close to her. As the adrenaline from the fight continued to fade, she could feel desire bubbling underneath her skin more clearly than it had in a very long time. “Please? I promise I’ll make it worth your while tomorrow.”

“You always make it worth my while, whether you touch me or not,” Emily huffed. “Now, how about we get you out of that dress, huh? You look like you’re suffocating in there.”

“Yes, yes, please,” JJ nodded enthusiastically.

“Oh, and angel,” Emily hummed slowly, looking into JJ’s eyes intently. “Stay quiet for me, will you? I know you sound gorgeous when you beg for me, but that’ll have to wait a while longer. Right now, I want to make sure you hear every single thing I have to say to you, alright?”

JJ opened her mouth to answer, but a single raised eyebrow from Emily had her nodding instead. Her lover kissed her approvingly, smiling at her warmly before looking down at her body and starting to work on the garments covering JJ’s body.

Honestly, there were far too many layers for JJ’s comfort. She was used to poorer clothes, meant to cover the bare minimum, and this- this was something else. As Emily peeled back the first layer, she felt herself breathe a little lighter, her pulse quickening as her the other woman ran her hands over her covered body over and over again, getting rid of each layer individually until JJ was wearing nothing but a corset and stockings.

“You look beautiful like this, you know?” Emily murmured softly, pressing a kiss to JJ’s collarbones, the top of her breasts, and then lower – her thighs, her knees, her calves. Emily kissed every single part of her that had been revealed, taking her time on every spot as though she was trying to remind JJ of how precious she was to the brunette.

As though JJ could ever forget.

Still, she felt herself blushing darkly as Emily whispered praises against her skin, echoes of ‘ _beautiful’, ‘perfect’, ‘mon ange’, ‘femme de ma vie’_ resonating in JJ’s mind. It was nothing she hadn’t heard before, but she suddenly realised how _long_ the months she’d spent away from Emily had been.

Ten months without getting to kiss the woman she loved, without getting to touch or hear her voice or lay there, letting Emily take her apart so lovingly that she could have cried.

Or maybe she was already crying; she couldn’t quite tell. All she knew was that Emily still hadn’t touched her where she _really_ wanted to be touched, and yet JJ felt like she was already seconds away from falling over the edge. She wanted to tell Emily to hurry up, to go faster and give her what she needed, but the words refused to come out.

Emily didn’t want her to talk and – deep down – _JJ_ didn’t want to talk.

“You’re doing so good for me,” Emily whispered, letting her fingers slowly but surely undo the front of JJ’s corset until they revealed the small dagger JJ had hidden there earlier. The blade brushed against the blonde’s skin as Emily let it slide down her stomach before she threw it somewhere behind them, clearly unconcerned by whoever might walk into their room. Do you want me to touch you, _mon ange_?”

JJ nodded frantically, whimpering as Emily laughed lightly and tugged both of JJ’s hands up, only to tie them with the scarf the brunette had been wearing outside. It was bright red, the same colour as Emily’s dress, and JJ moaned at the thought of being restrained by something that had been wrapped around her lover’s throat just minutes earlier.

“There you go. That feels good, doesn’t it?” Emily smiled as JJ acquiesced with another nod and a softer whimper. “Oh, I know, I know you want more. I’m going to give you everything you want in just a minute, my beautiful girl, but I need to make sure you’re comfortable first.”

JJ thought she was going to lose her mind as Emily rearranged her until her head was laying comfortably on the pillows behind her, her hands tied to the headboard loosely enough that she knew she could get away if she really needed to, and the corset discarded with the dagger somewhere in the room.

“There we go,” Emily breathed against her skin, lingering at JJ’s throat for a few moments and leaving a trail of bruising kisses behind as she made her way down to JJ’s breasts again.

This time, JJ couldn’t help the gasp of _Emily_ that poured out of her mouth as the brunette took one of her nipples into her mouth and nipped at it gently, just the way JJ liked it. Instead of reprimanding her the way JJ had thought she might, Emily only continued lavishing her with attention, sucking and biting at her nipple before moving onto the other one, her hands roaming over the rest of her body lightly as though she were afraid of breaking JJ.

She had no idea how long the sweet torture lasted, no idea how long she stayed there, panting and crying for more and begging for _Emily, Emily, Emily_. All she knew was Emily’s touch, her hands and lips and the fabric of her dress rubbing against JJ’s in all the best ways. All she knew was the love of her life was right there, taking care of her as she always had in the past.

By the time Emily finally reached her clit, pinching it gently between her fingers before replacing her hand with her mouth, JJ was lost. Her vision was blurry as she looked down at her lover and struggled against the restraints around her hands. She knew she wouldn’t break free that easily, but Emily’s hair was just _begging_ to have someone pulling at it, and JJ wanted to touch her so bad.

However, a single look from Emily had her settling down again and letting the pleasure of finally feeling a tongue against her clit and two fingers pushing into her warmth take over. _God_ , she hadn’t remembered it feeling so overwhelmingly good. She hadn’t remembered feeling so warm and hot and _wanton_.

The room was completely silent but for the moans and pleas JJ let out every few seconds, trying to urge Emily to go faster and just _get her off_ already. She needed to come more than she had ever needed anything, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could take her lover’s touch without losing it completely.

“ _Jen_ ,” Emily murmured, pulling away from JJ completely and looking up at her earnestly, love and fire burning in her eyes. “Let go, angel.”

JJ didn’t need to be told twice. Less than a second later, she was coming, her vision blackening at the edges as she screamed out, a litany of ‘ _Emily_ ’s filling the silence as tears streamed down her face.

When she came back to, her hands had been untied and she had been covered by a soft blanket. Emily was lying next to her, her dress removed and her hair falling in soft waves around her head like a halo of darkness. She was still the most beautiful woman JJ had ever seen and, had she been able to talk, she would have told her just that.

“You did so wonderfully, Jen,” Emily whispered, pulling JJ closer to her and curling her arms around her protectively. “Thank you for trusting me to make you feel good.”

“Thank you for-” JJ started, her voice fading out as she realised she wasn’t sure what she was thanking Emily for, exactly.

For bringing her the release she’d so desperately needed, for being there when she needed her most, for loving her, for being the only person in the world who made JJ feel like she truly mattered. Whatever it was, JJ knew it mattered more than anything else in her life.

“We should stay here,” she said into the emptiness, hoping Emily could hear her despite the softness of her voice. “In Paris, together.”

“Whatever you want, angel,” Emily breathed out, and JJ-

JJ believed her.

The plan had never been to stay in Europe. The plan had been to complete the mission, get everyone back to the States safely, and move onto the next mission with the team JJ adored. The plan had been there for a reason, and JJ had clung onto it every day for the past year or so.

Yet, as she lay there in a hotel room with the love of her life sleeping next to her, she realised the plan had never mattered.

Emily, though?

Emily mattered more to her than anything in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Heya guys! Thank you so much for reading! As always, these fics are unbetaed and unedited, so please forgive any mistakes (since this is a long-ish fic, I might go through it later, but I wanted to post this now) especially given the fact that most of this was written late at night. However, I hope you all enjoyed the result of a sleep-deprived, Jemily-loving history student's sudden need to write the BAU in the 19th century. I love these girls with my entire heart and hope you liked how this turned out as much as I did!
> 
> Love, Junie. 
> 
> (find me on [tumblr](https://hopesilverheart.tumblr.com/))


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